On 19 January 2018, the US administration of Donald Trump released its first National Defense Strategy (NDS) subtitled Sharpening the American Military’s Competitive Edge under the responsibility of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.

In this analysis the author suggested that the NDS appeared destined to fall short of fully satisfying American allies.

President Donald Trump had launched a new National Security Strategy (NSS) for the United States on the 18 December 2017. It was intended to be a comprehensive statement articulating the worldwide interests, goals, and objectives of the United States that were important to its security.

The National Defense Strategy followed in January 2018. In February 2018 the Department of Defense issued a further document called the Nuclear Posture Review. It said that the NPR was a strategy to keep America safe with a deterrent that was modern and credible. The NPR recommended lowering the yield of some existing submarine-launched ballistic missile warheads (ie. less powerful nuclear warheads), and bringing back a nuclear sea-based launched cruise missile.